I am not sure the Denver Broncos expected the game to go that poorly. Denver got blown out by the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football and simply did not have an answer on either side of the ball. This could end up going down as one of the ugliest losses in the Sean Payton era, and surely the ugliest since the debacle at Miami in 2023.
The Broncos' schedule also does not get much easier, as, over the next three weeks, they play Jacksonville, the Los Angeles Rams, and the San Francisco 49ers. Denver's first win isn't clear at the moment, and if they fall to the Jags in Week 2, there is a non-zero chance this team begins 0-3 or even 0-4
With Week 1 officially in the books, let's dive into some AFC West power rankings.
Denver Broncos already tumbling in AFC West rankings ahead of Week 2
4. Las Vegas Raiders (1-0)
Yes, the Las Vegas Raiders won in Week 1 and are 1-0, but they beat the Miami Dolphins at home, which really isn't saying much. The Raiders were and are the better team and did what they should have done, but there are still some major concerns with this roster.
The offensive line is still a question mark, and it feels like this team has needed multiple starters in the secondary for quite some time. Kirk Cousins is currently commanding the offense, but his passing limitations cap the Raiders' offense and don't make this team a major threat.
Obviously, this franchise will soon pivot to Fernand Mendoza and hope that he can be a long-term answer. That likely isn't happening until later in the season at the earliest. For now, while the Raiders got off to a nice start, this team is still the worst in the AFC West.
3. Los Angeles Chargers
The Broncos' loss to the Chiefs was bad, but the Los Angeles Chargers losing to the Arizona Cardinals at home is much worse. The Chargers looked a lot like the Broncos - they simply could not get much of anything to work. Their offensive line struggled to protect Justin Herbert, who himself played poorly, and the defense didn't have many answers for an offense that could be sneaky good.
Bigger issues with the Chargers would be overall top-end roster talent and depth, and that's a huge reason why this team has maxed out at 11 wins in each of the last two seasons. Los Angeles should will be a good team, but they do have some legitimate personnel concerns that limit how good they can be.
2. Denver Broncos
What more is there to say? The Broncos got owned in every phase of the game and simply need to rinse off this bad stench in the following weeks. The schedule doesn't get easier, but the Broncos didn't just randomly win 14 games last year. While it's hard to find optimism after Week 1, there are still 16 games left - plenty of time for this team to turn things around.
1. Kansas City Chiefs
For at least this week, the Chiefs are the best team in the AFC West. The Chiefs did win the division each year from 2016-2024 and could already be threatening to do that this year. Kansas City ran for over 200 yards on Monday night, and Kenneth Walker actually had the highest rushing yardage total of his career.
While the Chiefs have major concerns with their pass-catchers and being able to throw the ball down the field consistently, a lot of that can be masked with a strong run game. While the Chiefs are the third-best team in the division in terms of overall roster talent, they also have sure-fire Hall of Famers in Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes who know how to win games.
This could end up being a much tighter division race for the Broncos than originally thought.
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